Lawrence is an artsy, well-educated, moderately left-leaning city/town with a pretty strong (for Kansas) international flavor almost all due to the University of Kansas. If any of those things aren’t your bag then steer clear of Lawrence. It truly is an arts-centric city with a thriving community of writers, a good cultural events scene, and more bands than you can shake a drumstick at. The student population, energy of an internationally renowned education institution and pretty vibrant downtown (check out Mass St.) make this a diamond in the rough of Kansas. 

Here's a local on what Lawrence is like:
*I grew up in Old West Lawrence, where my family first bought two houses in the late 1800s. Lawrence is a beautiful, friendly, peaceful, yet stimulating town. The university makes this small town feel diverse. When we were growing up, our house was like a mini-U.N. because of the variety of people my mother befriended during her fourteen years at the university, and my father’s business friends.*

Jayhawks

The Best Thing About Lawrence?

While the University hires a lot of folk, the overall job scene is not strong relative to other college cities that incubate and grow businesses that hire graduates and transplants. Better paying jobs tend to require commutes to Kansas City (about 40 miles) and while remote work is definitely growing as a driver of the population you’d hate to move here for that remote job and then get trapped without a local business scene.

Here's a locals pov on work in Lawrence:
*I live in Lawrence and commute to Topeka. It's 25 minutes for me on highway 40 and then on 70. It's a super easy commute.*

*Basically, Lawrence is a bedroom community. You work in healthcare so you might be able to find a job in town, but to be honest, most folks there either are attending school, work at the school, or work commute.*


Jobs

The Worst Thing About Lawrence?

Lawrence is an interesting mix of extreme quiet, particularly during the summer months when students are gone, and the rest of the year when the basketball games and Mass St. bars and restaurants are JUMPING! If you want it quiet and family-focused,  you’ll get it here. If you want it busy Lawrence has some energy due to all the commercial development on Mass St. and the University buzz that is supported with plenty of pubs and play. 

Check out the Lawrence calendar of events if you want to see what locals get up to:
https://www.explorelawrence.com/events/

Lifestyle of Lawrence

If you’re craving a less expensive, but kind of active college town in the middle of the midwest with a blue-ish political vibe Lawrence fits the bill. It could do more to pump up the local business community but the school protects the housing prices and social scene so fear not if that's what you crave. 


College Spirit

Why You Should Move Here Now?

As with most cities Downtown is the starting point for young professionals looking for a place to live. First of all it is one of the most beautiful historic districts in the country with most of the original buildings preserved and converted into cool loft and condo living. That means you can walk to the thriving local social scene on Mass St. and even walk to work if you should be so lucky to have your office downtown.
- Downtown


Young Professionals

Downtown

Lawrence is one of many cities in the U.S. that is divided into geographical sections. East Lawrence is a good choice if you’re young-ish and looking to have one foot in a social scene and one foot in a slightly more mature setting. The are is the center of the Arts Scene with plenty of yard art, murals and the Warehouse Arts District, which is filled with boutique restaurants, art galleries and some of the startup scene. The housing options here are also cool with Victorians, bungalows, cottages and an emerging new green building scene.
- East Lawrence


DINKs/SINKs

East Lawrence

West Lawrence is the elegant historic district of Lawrence. Filled with elegantl period homes, brick streets and tall beautiful tree-lined blocks it is the place to be for families looking to be relatively close to Downtown but also feel like you’re big homes, parks and room to roam for the kiddos. 
- West Lawrence


Families

West Lawrence

Lawrence

**What is it like to live in Lawrence, Kansas, USA?**

I grew up in Old West Lawrence, where my family first bought two houses in the late 1800s. Lawrence is a beautiful, friendly, peaceful, yet stimulating town. The university makes this small town feel diverse. When we were growing up, our house was like a mini-U.N. because of the variety of people my mother befriended during her fourteen years at the university, and my father’s business friends.

I was sad to see how much the town has sprawled West, the last time I visited. I used to be able to ride my bike out to fields past Iowa, within ten or fifteen minutes, now it is all houses.

To me the real heart of Lawrence is inside “the square” 6th St, Massachusetts, Iowa, and 23rd. But there are plenty of really nice places to live outside of the square. However Louisiana Street, between 9th and 6th is one of the most beautiful stretches of residential streets that come to mind.

Because of the many academics, Lawrence is a great town for stimulating conversations. North Lawrence used to be an enclave of people who had “truck gardens” and were a source of fresh produce. My great Uncle used to go North Lawrence, by the river, to fish literally every day during his retirement.

My mother was recruited to work in the United Nations because she was able to simultaneously translate in five languages, I am so glad that she chose to be a stay at home mother, and not drag everyone to NYC, because Lawrence was an absolutely amazing place in which to grow up.

**Are people friendly in Lawrence, KS?**

I've lived all over the United States including States like Florida Illinois Ohio etc. The first time I visited Lawrence Kansas I was blown away while walking down the street. I was there to see if I wanted to move there and check out the town. I had recently begun a relationship with somebody in that town and wanted to get a feel for them and where they're located. After he had invited me there I decided to go for a walk by myself and check out things. It seemed as if every single person that I passed smiled or at least waved at me. Also, to mention all the people that also did speak to me.. making comments like have a nice day or its beautiful out… I was pretty shocked considering its the central United States and from what Kansas is rumored for be boring and flat and conservative it was all but those things. Lawrence is a vibrant college town with bars on every block downtown. At the time I had a favorite band that I listened to all the time they were pretty obscure and not very well known. When I saw they were playing the following weekend my mind was made up I was moving there. So, I did. I moved in with the guy that I was seeing and began to work. Finding a job was easy. Unfortunately, the relationship didn't work out but we were together for 6 years. When it finally ended I had moved out got my own place in Lawrence and continued to live there on my own. I had developed many very strong close-knit friendships. unfortunately the job I was working closed and I had to transfer to another location so I had to move from Lawrence. but the exciting times that I had while being there will always be a strong spot in my heart and one day I know I will live there again. I live in the tropics off the ocean now and I can't even believe I would rather live in Lawrence Kansas then on the ocean… but I would. And boy, you should see people's faces when I say that. So, to sum it up yes people are very nice there and it is out of all the places I've lived in United States the coolest, most diverse place I've ever been. Lastly to mention if you like music I called it little Austin… so, there were Soooo many bands that I would never had the blessed opportunity to see had I lived anywhere else. Thank you Lawrence I love you! Till we meet again. <3



What’s the best thing about living in Lawrence, KS?

Tight knit community, tons of free events for all types of people - anything from nightlife to family events. The library is absolutely incredible. The community cares a lot about supporting local businesses so chains don't stick around long and we get a ton of creative small startups. If you're into games Game Nut on Mass is definitely worth checking out. (Their store on Iowa is also cool but doesn't have the comics/tabletop stuff) We have the absolute best food, my favorites are:

- Ramen Bowls

- Ladybird Diner (get the pie!)

- Encore for Chinese/Asian

- Basil Leaf for Italian

- Free State for beer/american foods

- Wake the Dead for when you want to order a whiskey with breakfast without judgment

Lawrence, Kansas